Liquid detergent compositions

ABSTRACT

This invention pertains to homogeneous, preferably clear, liquid detergent compositions which are particularly suitable for the removal of food soils from hard surfaces such as dishes. Said compositions consist essentially of a mixture of organic detergents; organic sequestering builders; polyfunctional anionic surfactants which serve as phase modifiers; and water. The organic sequestering builder is preferably represented by citrates whereas the polyfunctional anionic surfactant can be represented by water-soluble salts of sulfonated higher fatty acids or by water-soluble salts of a component derived from succinic acid. The liquid medium of the instant homogeneous liquid detergent composition is essentially water.

United States Patent Miller Aug. 5, 1975 [54] LIQUID DETERGENTCOMPOSITIONS Primary Examiner-Benjamin R. Padgett I H. M 11 C t Oh [75]nventor James 1 er mcmna 1 10 Assistant E.\'ammer-Christ1ne M. Nucker[73] Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company, Attorney, Agent, orFirmRichard C. Witte; Julius P.

CinCinnaIi, Ohio Filcik; Forrest L. Collins [22] Filed: Dec. 26, 1972App]. No.: 318,072

US. Cl. 252/553; 252/545; 252/546; 252/547; 252/550; 252/551; 252/558;252/559; 252/DIG. 10; 252/DIG. 14

Int. Cl. ....C11D 1/38;C11D 1/12; C11D 3/26 Field of Search 252/545,546, 547, 550, 252/551, 553, 558, 559, DIG. l0, DIG. 14

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,264,103 11/1941 Tucker210/23 3,345,301 10/1967 Stein et a1. 252/557 X 3,368,978 2/1968 lrani252/545 X 3,390,096 6/1968 Stein et al 252/538 3,629,121 12/1971 Eldib252/89 5 7 ABSTRACT tant can be represented by water-soluble salts ofsulfonated higher fatty acids or by water-soluble salts of a componentderived from succinic acid. The liquid medium of the instant homogeneousliquid detergent composition is essentially water.

14 Claims, N0 Drawings LIQUID DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Liquid detergent compositions are frequently used for multiplecleaning purposes particularly in households. Said compositions areespecially attractive to housewives because of their easy dispensabilityand, also, because of the apparent preference consumers put, for certaintype of cleaning, on homogeneous liquid detergents. However, said liquiddetergent compositions are difficult to formulate inasmuch as theattainment of a homogeneous liquid composition limits the quantities ofthe ingredients needed for performing the cleaning job. This, in turn,results in a lower cleaning activity on a unit weight basis. Saidproblems are wellknown particularly for compositions containingwatersoluble salts of sulfonated C to C fatty acids or surface activeingredients derived from succinic acid. The former are well known in theart and many attempts have been made to incorporate them in liquiddetergent compositions, however, without, up to now, leading tocommercially acceptable products. Some of the succinic acid derivativessuitable for use are disclosed in, for example. South African patentspecification 71/7852, Vincent Lamberti et al., as detergentcompositions ingredients for use in solid detergent compositions.Non-solid detergent compositions are also disclosed in some of theexamples of said patent application. However, the like compositionssuffer the disadvantage of being insufficiently soluble in aqueousmedium, and therefore, cannot constitute basis for obtaining homogeneousliquid detergent compositions.

It is well known that, liquid detergent compositions containing eitherone, or combinations of several except one or more, of the essentialingredients used in the compositions of the instant invention, are notsatisfactory for cleaning and particularly dishwashing purposes. Thereason for this apparently resides in the narrow spectrum soil removalproperties of these prior art liquid detergent compositions.

Another factor for consideration is the limited solubility, with a viewto obtain homogeneous liquid detergent compositions, of combinations ofseveral except one or more of the essential ingredients used in thecompositions of the instant invention.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to providehomogeneous, preferably clear, liquid detergent compositions which areparticularly suitable for the removal of food soils.

It is another object of this invention to provide homogeneous liquiddetergent compositions which will not separate phases, particularlyduring prolonged storage.

It is still another object of the instant invention to provide acomposition with good cleaning performance without being subject toprecipitation or other separation phenomena which, when not taken careof properly, may result in dispensing portions of the products which arenot truly representative and, hence, do not provide the cleaningperformance the consumer expects.

The above and other advantages are now provided by homogeneous,preferably clear, liquid detergent compositions which consistessentially of organic detergents, organic sequestering builders,polyfunctional anionic surfactants chosen among water soluble salts ofsulfonated higher fatty acids and water-soluble derivatives of succinicacids in combination with water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention provides homogeneousliquid detergent compositions which are particularly efficient 5 for theremoval of food soils. Such compositions consist essentially of:

a. from about 3% to about 40% by weight of a watersoluble detergentselected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, zwitterionicand ampholytic surfactants;

b. from about 2% to about 30% by weight of a watersoluble organicsequestering builder;

0. from about 2% to about 25% by weight of a phase modifier surfactantingredient selected from the group consisting of water-soluble salts ofi. sulfonated C C fatty acids;

ii. compounds of the general formula wherein R represents an alkyl grouphaving from 3 to 20 carbon atoms; R represents hydrogen or a C alkylgroup, R stands for hydrogen, C alkyl group or OI-I, whereby the totalnumber of carbon atoms of R and R is at most 4; X represents O-; S-; SO;-SO or SCH M is a water soluble cation; and iii. mixtures thereof;whereby the ratio of component (b) to component (c) is from about 6:1 toabout 1:6; and the balance to 100% being d. water. 40

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates tohomogeneous, preferably clear, liquid detergent compositions which areparticularly capable of cleaning hard surfaces soiled with food.

The compositions of this invention contain as essential ingredients l anorganic detergent; (2) an organic sequestering builder; (3) a particularpolyfunctional anionic detergent which serves as a phase modifier in theliquid composition; and (4) water. Each of these components is discussedin detail hereinafter.

Unless indicated to the contrary the indications stand for percent byweight.

The instant detergent compositions comprise from about 3% to about 40%,preferably from about 5% to about 25%, of an organic detergent selectedfrom the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic andampholytic surfactants and mixtures thereof. Examples of ingredientssuitable for being used as detergent actives in the instant compositionsare as follows:

A. Anionic Soap and Non-Soap Synthetic Detergents This class ofdetergents includes ordinary alkali metal soaps such as the sodium,potassium, ammonium and alkylolammonium salts of higher fatty acidscontaining from about 8 to about 24 carbon atoms and preferably fromabout 10 to about 20 carbon atoms. Suitable fatty acids can be obtainedfrom natural sources such as, for instance, from plant or animal esters(e.g., palm oil, coconut oil, babassu oil, soybean oil, castor oil,tallow, whale and fish oils, grease, lard, and mixtures thereof). Thefatty acids also can be synthetically prepared (e.g., by the oxidationof petroleum, or by hydrogenation of carbon monoxide by theFischer-Tropsch process). Resin acids are suitable such as rosin andthose resin acids in tall oil. Napthenic acids are also suitable. Theparticular soaps can be made by direct saponification of the fats andoils or by the neutralization of the free fatty acids which are preparedin a separate manufacturing process. Particularly useful are theammonium and alkylolammonium salts of mixtures of fatty acids derivedfrom coconut oil and tallow, i.e., ammonium or alkylolammonium tallowand coconut soap.

This class of detergents also includes water-soluble salts, particularlythe ammonium salts of organic sulfuric reaction products having in theirmolecular structure an alkyl radical containing from about 8 to about 22carbon atoms and a sulfonic acid or sulfuric acid ester radical.(Included in the term alkyl is the alkyl portion of higher acylradicals.) Examples of this group of synthetic detergents which form apart of the preferred detergent compositions of the present inventionare the ammonium alkyl sulfates, especially those obtained by' sulfatingthe higher C alcohols produced by reducing the glycerides of tallow orcoconut oil; alkali or ammonium alkyl benzene sulfonates, in which thealkyl group contains from about 9 to about carbon atoms, in straightchain or branched chain configuration, e.g. those of the type describedin US Pat. Nos. 2,220,099 and 2,477,383 (especially valuable are linearstraight chain alkyl benzene sulfonates in which the average of thealkyl groups is about l3 carbon atoms abbreviated hereinafter as C LAS);sodium alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates, especially those ethers ofhigher alcohols derived from tallow and coconut oil; sodium coconut oilfatty acid monoglyceride sulfonates and sulfates; alkali or ammoniumsalts of alkyl phenol ethylene oxide ether sulfate with about 1 to about10 units of ethylene oxide per molecule and in which the alkyl radicalscontain about 8 to about 12 carbon atoms.

Anionic phosphate surfactants are also useful in the present invention.These are surface active materials having substantial detergentcapability in which the anionic solubilizing group connectinghydrophobic moieties in an oxy acid of phosphorus. The more commonsolubilizing groups, of course, are -SO H, -SO H, and CO H. Alkylphosphate esters such as (R- O) PO H and ROPO H in which R represents analkyl chain containing from about 8 to about carbon atoms are useful.

These esters can be modified by including in the molecule from one toabout 40 alkylene oxide units, e.g., ethylene oxide units. Formulae forthese modified phosphate anionic detergents are in which Rrepresents analkyl group containing from about 8 to 20 carbon atoms, or analkylphenyl group in which the alkyl group contains from about 8 to 20carbon atoms, and M represents a soluble cation such as ammonium orsubstituted ammonium; and in which n is an integer from 1 to about 40.

Another class of suitable anionic organic detergents particularly usefulin this invention includes salts of 2-acyloxy-alkane-l-sulfonic acids.These salts have the formula where R is R C,, O-C, n being an integerfrom 9 to 23, or alkyl of about 9 to about 23 carbon atoms (forming withthe two carbon atoms an alkane group); R is alkyl of l to about 8 carbonatoms; and M is a saltforming radical.

The salt-forming radical M in the hereinbefore described structuralformula is a water-solubilizing cation and can be, for example, analkali metal cation (e.g. sodium, potassium, lithium), ammonium orsubstitutedammonium cation. Specific examples of substituted ammoniumcations include methyl-, dimethyl-, and trimethylammonium cations andquaternary ammonium cations such as tetramethyl-ammonium and dimethylpiperdinium cations and those derived from alkylamines such asethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, mixtures thereof, and the like.

Specific examples of beta-acyloXy-alkane-lsulfonates, or alternatively2-acyloxy-alkane-lsulfonates, utilizable herein to provide superiorcleaning levels under substantially neutral washing conditions includethe sodium salt of 2-acetoxy-tridecane-1- sulfonic acid; the potassiumsalt of 2-propionyloxytetradecane-l-sulfonic acid; the lithium salt, of2- butanoyloxy-tetradecane-l-sulfonic acid; the sodium salt of2-pentanoyloxy-pentadecane-l-sulfonic acid; the sodium salt of2-acetoxy-hexadecane-l-sulfonic acid; the potassium salt of2-octanoyloxy-tetradecanel-sulfonic acid; the sodium salt of2-acetoxyheptadecane-l-sulfonic acid; the lithium salt of 2-acetoxy-octadecane-l-sulfonic acid; the potassium salt of2-acetoxy-nonadecane-l-sulfonic acid; the sodium salt of2-acetoxy-uncosane-l-sulfonic acid; the sodium salt of2-propionyloxy-docosane-l-sulfonic acid; the isomers thereof.

Preferred beta-acyloxy-alkane-l-sulfonate salts therein are the alkalimetal salts of beta-acetoxyalkane- 1 -su1fonic acids corresponding tothe above formula wherein R is an alkyl of about 12 to about 16 carbonatoms, these salts being preferred from the standpoints of theirexcellent cleaning properties and ready availability.

Typical examples of the above described betaacetoxy alkanesulfonates aredescribed in the literature: Belgium Pat. No. 650,323 issued July 9,l963, discloses the preparation of certain 2-acyloxy alkanesulfonicacids. Similarly, US. Pat. Nos. 2,094,451 issued Sept. 28, 1937, toGuenther et. a1. and 2,086,215 issued July 6, 1937 to DeGroote disclosecertain salts of beta-acetoxy alkanesulfonic acids. These references arehereby incorporated by reference.

A preferred class of anionic organic detergents are the beta-alkyloxyalkane sulfonates. These compounds have the following formula:

where R is a straight chain alkyl group having from 6 to 20 carbonatoms, R is a lower alkyl group having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and Mis a salt-forming radical hereinbefore described.

Specific examples of beta-alkyloxy alkane sulfonates or alternatively2-alkyloxy-alkane-l-sulfonates, utilizable herein to provide superiorcleaning levels under household washing conditions include:

potassium beta-methoxydecanesulfonate,

sodium beta-methoxy-tridecanesulfonate,

potassium beta-ethoxytetradecylsulfonate,

sodium beta-isopropoxyhexadecylsulfonate,

lithium beta-tertbutoxytetradecylsulfonate,

sodium beta-methoxyoctadecylsulfonate, and

ammonium beta-n-propoxydodecylsulfonate.

Other synthetic anionic detergents useful herein are alkyl ethersulfates. These materials have the formula RO(C H O),SO M wherein R isalkyl or alkenyl of about to about 20 carbon atoms, x is l to 30, and Mis a salt-forming cation defined hereinbefore.

The alkyl ether sulfates of the present invention are condensationproducts of ethylene oxide and monohydric alcohols having about 10 toabout 20 carbon atoms. Preferably, R has 10 to 14 carbon atoms. Thealcohols can be derived from fats, e.g., coconut oil or tallow, or canbe synthetic. Lauryl alcohol and straight chain alcohols derived fromcoconut oil and tallow are preferred herein. Such alcohols are reactedwith l to 30, and especially 1 to 12 molar proportions of ethylene oxideand the resulting mixture of molecular species, having, for example, anaverage of l or 12 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, issulfated and neutralized.

Specific examples of alkyl ether sulfates of the present invention areammonium coconut alkyl ethylene glycol ether sulfate; ammonium tallowalkyl triethylene glycol ether sulfate; and sodium tallow alkylhexaoxyethylene sulfate. I

Preferred herein for reasons of excellent cleaning properties and readyavailability are the ammonium coconutand tallow-alkyl oxyethylene ethersulfates having an average of about 1 to about 12 oxyethylene moieties.The alkyl ether sulfates of the present invention are known compoundsand are described in US. Pat. No. 3,332,876 to Walker (July 25, 1967)incorporated herein by reference.

Additional examples of anionic non-soap synthetic detergents which comewithin the terms of the present invention are the reaction product offatty acids esterified with isethionic acid and neutralized with sodiumhydroxide where, for example, the fatty acids are derived from coconutoil; ammonoum or substituted ammonium salts of fatty acid amide ofmethyl tauride in which the fatty acids, for example, are derived fromcoconut oil. Other anionic synethetic detergents of this variety are setforth in US. Pat. Nos. 2,486,921; 2,486,922; and 2,396,278.

Additional examples of anionic, non-soap, synthetic fates, C to Cdisodium-1,2-alkyldisulfonates, disodium l ,9-stearyldisulfates andoctadecyldisulfates.

The aliphatic portion of the disulfates or disulfonates is generallysubstantially linear, desirable, among other reasons, because it impartsdesirable biodegradable properties to the detergent compound.

The water-solubilizing cations include the customary cations known inthe detergent art, i.e., the alkali metals, and the alkaline earthmetals, as well as other metals in group IIA, IIB, IIIA, IVA and IVB ofthe Periodic Table except for Boron. The preferred watersolublizingcations are ammonium or substituted ammonium. These dianionic detergentsare more fully described in British Letters Pat. No. 1,151,392 whichclaims priority on an application made in the US. Pat. (No. 564,566) onJuly 12, 1966.

Other suitable anionic detergents utilizable herein are olefinsulfonates having about 12 to about 24 car- Phillip F. Pflaumer andAdriaan Kessler, issued July 25,

bon atoms. The term olefin sulfonates is used herein to mean compoundswhich can be produced by the sulfonation of alpha-olefin by means ofsulfur trioxide, followed by neutralization of the acid reaction mixturein conditions such that any sultones which have been formed in thereaction are hydrolyzed to give the correspondinghydroxy-alkanesulfonates. The sulfur trioxide may be liquid or gaseous,and is usually, but not necessarily, diluted by inert diluents, forexample, by liquid S0 chlorinated hydrocarbon, etc., when used in theliquid form, or by air, nitrogen, gaseous S0 etc., when used in thegaseous form.

The alpha-olefins fromwhich the olefin sulfonates are derived aremono-olefins having 12 to 24 carbon atoms, preferably 14 to 16 carbonatoms. Preferably, they are straight chain olefins. Examples of suitablelolefins include l-dodecene; l-tetradecene; lhexadecene; l-octadecene;l-eicosene and ltetracosene.

In addition to the true alkene sulfonates and a proportion ofhydroxy-alkanesulfonates, the olefin sulfonates can contain minoramounts of other materials, such as alkene disulfonates depending uponthe reaction' conditions, proportions of reactants, the nature of thestarting olefins and impurities in the olefin stock and side reactionsduring the sulfonation process.

-A specific anionicv detergent which has also been found excellent foruse in the present invention is described more fully in the US. Pat. No.3,332,880 of 1967, titled Detergent Composition, the disclosure of whichis herein incorporated by reference.

Specific preferred anionic surfactants include ammonium linear alkylbenzene sulfonate wherein the alkyl chain averages from about to 18,more preferably about 12, carbon atoms in length; the sodium salt ofalkyl glyceryl sulfonate whereby the alkyl groups contains from about 8to about 20, preferably from about 10 to about 16 carbon atoms inlength; ammonium 2- acetoxy-tridecanel-sulfonic acid; ammoniumB-methoxyoctadecylsulfonate; the ammonium salts of the sulfonatedcondensation product of C1040 fatty alcohols with from 1 to 10 moles ofethylene oxide, preferably averaging from I to 4 moles of ethyleneoxide. Highly preferred are the ammonium salts of sulfonatedcondensation products of coconut fatty alcohols with 3 moles of ethyleneoxide.

B. Nonionic Synthetic Detergents Nonionic synthetic detergents may bebroadly defined as compounds produced by the condensation of alkyleneoxide groups (hydrophilic in nature) with an organic hydrophobiccompound, which may be aliphatic or alkyl aromatic in nature. The lengthof the hydrophilic or polyoxyalkylene radical which is condensed withany particular hydrophobic group can be readily adjusted to yield awater-soluble compound having the desired degree of balance betweenhydrophilic and hydrophobic elements.

For example, a well known class of nonionic synthetic detergents is madeavailable on the market under the trade name of Pluronic. Thesecompounds are formed by condensing ethylene oxide with a hydrophobicbase formed by the condensation of propylene oxide with propyleneglycol. The hydrophobic portion of the molecule which, of course,exhibits water insolubility, has a molecular weight of from about 1,500to 1,800. The addition of polyoxyethylene radicals to this hydrophobicportion tends to increase the water solubility of the molecule as awhole and the liquid character of the product is retained up to thepoint where polyoxyethylene content is about 50% of the total weight ofthe condensation product.

Other suitable nonionic synthetic detergents include:

1. The polyethylene oxide condensates of alkyl phenols, e.g., thecondensation products of alkyl phenols having an alkyl group containingfrom about 6 to 12 carbon atoms in either a straight chain or branchedchain configuration, with ethylene oxide, the said ethylene oxide beingpresent in amounts equal to 5 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole ofalkyl phenol. The alkyl substituent in such compounds may be derivedfrom polymerized propylene, diisobutylene, octene, or nonene, forexample.

2. Those derived from the condensation of ethylene oxide with theproduct resulting from the reaction of propylene oxide and ethylenediamine. For example, compounds containing from about 40% to about 80%polyoxyethylene by weight and having a molecular weight of from about5,000 to about 1 1,000 resulting from the reaction of ethylene oxidegroups with a hydrophobic base constituted of the reaction product ofethylene diamine and excess propylene oxide, said base having amolecular weight of the order of 2,500 and 3,000, are satisfactory.

3. The condensation product of aliphatic alcohols having from 8 to 22carbon atoms, in either straight chain or branched chain configuration,with ethylene oxide, e.g., a coconut alcohol-ethylene oxide condensatehaving from 1 to 12 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of coconut alcohol,the coconut alcohol fraction having from 10 to 14 carbon atoms.

4. Nonionic detergents include nonyl phenol condensed with either about10 or about 30 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of phenol and thecondensation products of coconut alcohol with an average of either about5.5 or about 15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol and thecondensation product of about 15 moles of ethylene oxide with one moleof tridecanol.

Other examples include dodecylphenol condensed with 12 moles of ethyleneoxide per mole of phenol; dinonylphenol condensed with 15 moles ofethylene oxide per mole of phenol; dodecyl mercaptan condensed with 10moles of ethylene oxide per mole of mercaptan; bis-(N-2-hydroxyethyl)lauramide; nonyl phenol condensed with 20 moles of ethylene oxide permole of nonyl phenol; myristyl alcohol condensed with 10 moles ofethylene oxide per mole of myristyl alcohol; lauramide condensed with 15moles of ethylene oxide per mole of lauramide; and di-isooctylphenolcondensed with 15 moles of ethylene oxide.

5. A detergent having the formula oxide detergent) wherein R is an alkylgroup containing from about 10 to about 28 carbon atoms, from O to about2 hydroxy groups and from 0 to about 5 ether linkages, there being atleast one moiety of R which is an alkyl group containing from about 10to about 18 carbon atoms and 0 ether linkages, and each R and R areselected from the group consisting of alkyl radicals and hydroxyalkylradicals containing from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms;

Specific examples of amine oxide detergents includes:dimethyldodecylamine oxide, dimethyltetradecylamine oxide,ethylmethyltetradecylamine oxide, cetyldimethylamine oxide,dimethylstearylamine oxide, cetylethylpropylamine oxide,diethyldodecylamine oxide, diethyltetradecylamine oxide,dipropyldodecylamine oxide, bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)dodecylamine oxide,bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3- dodecoxy-l-hydroxypropylamine oxide, (2-

hydroxypropyl )methyltetradecylamine oxide, dimethyloleylamine oxidedimethyl-( 2- hydroxydodecyhamine oxide, and the corresponding decyl,hexadecyl and octadecyl homologs of the above compounds.

6. A detergent having the formula (phosphine oxide detergent) wherein Ris an alkylphosphine oxide, dipropyldodecylphosphine oxide, bis-(hydroxymethyl )dodecylphosphine oxide, bis-( 2- hydroxyethyl)-dodecylphosphine oxide, (2- hydroxypropyl)methyltetradecylphosphineoxide,

dimethyloleylphosphine oxide, and dimethyl-(2- hydroxydodecyl)phosphineoxide and the corresponding decyl, hexadecyl, and octadecyl homologs ofthe above compounds.

7. A detergent having the formula T R* s- R= (sulfoxide detergent)wherein R is an alkyl radical containing from about 10 to about 28carbon atoms, from O to about ether linkages and from 0 to about 2hydroxyl substituents at least one moiety of R being an alkyl radicalcontaining 0 ether linkages and containing from about to about 18 carbonatoms, and wherein R is an alkyl radical containing from 1 to 3 carbonatoms and from one to two hydroxyl groups; octadecyl methyl sulfoxide,dodecyl methyl sulfoxide, tetradecyl methyl sulfoxide, 3-hydroxytridecylmethyl sulfoxide, 3-methoxytridecyl methyl sulfoxide, e-hydroxy-4-dodecoxybutyl methyl sulfoxide, octadecyl 2- hydroxyethyl sulfoxide,dodecylethyl sulfoxide.

Of all the above-described types of nonionic surfactants, preferrednonionic surfactants include the condensation product of nonyl phenolwith about 9.5 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of nonyl phenol, thecondensation product of coconut fatty alcohol with about 6 moles ofethylene oxide per mole of coconut fatty alcohol, and the condensationproduct of a secondary fatty alcohol containing about carbon atoms withabout 9 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of fatty alcohol. Particularlypreferred are amine oxide detergents containing one alkyl group withfrom about 10 to about 28 carbon atoms and two alkyl or hydroxyalkylradicals containing from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms. Highly preferred iscoconut dimethyl amine oxide.

C. Ampholytic Synthetic Detergents Ampholytic synthetic detergents canbe broadly described as derivatives of aliphatic or aliphaticderivatives of heterocyclic secondary and tertiary amines, in which thealiphatic radical may be straight chain or branched and wherein one ofthe aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms andat least one contains an anionic water-solubilizing group, e.g.,carboxy, sulfo, sulfato. Examples of compounds falling within thisdefinition are sodium 3-(dodecylamino)- propionate, sodium3-(dodecylamino)propane-lsulfonate, sodium 2-(dodecylamino)ethylsulfate, sodium 2-(dimethylamino)octadecanoate, disodium 3-N-carboxymethyldodecylamino )-propanel sulfonate, disodiumoctadecyl-iminodiacetate, sodium l-carboxymethyl-2-undecylimidazole, andsodium N,- Nbis( 2-hydroxyethyl )-2-sulfato-3- dodecoxypropylamine.

D. Zwitterionic Synthetic Detergents Zwitterionic synthetic detergentscan be broadly described as derivatives of aliphatic quaternary ammoniumand phosphonium or tertiary sulfonium compounds, in which the cationicatom may be part of a heterocyclic ring, and in which the aliphaticradical may be straight chain or branched, and wherein one of thealiphatic substituents contains from about 3 to 18 carbon atoms, and atleast one aliphatic substituent contains an anionic water-solubilizinggroup, e.g., carboxy, sulfo, sulfato, phosphato, or phosphono. Examplesof compounds falling within this definition are 3-(N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecyl-ammonio)-2- hydroxypropane- 1 -sulfonate,3-(N,N-dimethyl-N- hexadecylammonio )-propanel -sulfonate, 2-( N,N-dimethyl-N-dodecylammonioum)acetate, 3-(N,N- dimethyl N-dodecylammonio)propionate, 2-(N,N- dimethyl-N-octadecylammonio )-ethyl sulfate2-(trimethylammonio)ethyl dodecylphosphonate, ethyl3-(N,N-dimethyl-N-dodecylammonio)propylphosphonate,3-(P,P-dimethyl-P-dodecylphosphonio propanel -sulfonate, 2-(S-methyl-S-tert.hexadecylsulfoniol )ethanel -sulfonate 3-( S-methyl-S-dodecylsulfonio)propionate, sodium 2-(N,N-dimethyl-S-dodecylammonio)ethyl phosphonate, 4-(S-methyl-S-tetradecylsulfonio)butyrate, l 2-hydroxyethyl )-2-undecylimidazoliuml-acetate, Z-(trimethylammonio)octadecanoate, and3-(N,N-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N- octodecylammonio )-2-hydroxypropanel-sulfonate. Some of these detergents are described in the following US.Pat. Nos. 2,129,264; 2,178,353; 2,774,786; 2,813,898; and 2,828,332.

Of all the above-described types of Zwitterionic surfactants, preferredcompounds include 3(N,N- dimethyl-N-alkylammonio)-propanel -sulfonateand 3(N,N-dimethyl-N-alkylammonio)-2-hydroxypropanel-sulfonate whereinin both compounds the alkyl group averages 14.8 carbon atoms in length;3(N,N-dimethyl- N-hexadecylammonio)-propanel -sulfonate; 3(N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecylammonio )-2-hydroxypropanel sulfonate;3-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N- dimethylammonio )-propanel -sulfonate; (N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)acetate; 3-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)propionate, 6-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)hexanoate; and(N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecylammonio)acetate.

As an additional essential ingredient, the compositions of the instantinvention comprise from about 2% to about 30%, preferably from about 5%to about 20% of an organic sequestering builder. Said organicsequestering builders can be selected from a wide variety of organicsequestering builders which are known to be suitable for use indetergent compositions.

Suitable alkaline organic builder salts include the alkali metal,ammonium and substituted ammonium salts of polyacetates andpolycarboxylates.

The polyacetate builder salts suitable for use herein include thesodium, potassium, lithium, ammonium, and subsituted ammonium salts ofthe following acids: ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid,N-(2-hydroxyethyl)- ethylene diaminetriacetic acid, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-nitrilodiacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid,l,2-diaminocyclohexanetetraacetic acid and nitrilotriacetic acid. Thealkali metal and ammonium salts of the above acids are generally andpreferably utilized herein.

The polycarboxylate builder salts suitable for use herein consist ofwater-soluble salts of polymeric aliphatic polycarboxylic acids selectedfrom the group consisting of a. Water-soluble salts of homopolymers ofaliphatic polycarboxylic acids having the following empirical formula:

wherein X, Y, and Z are each selected from the group consisting ofhydrogen, methyl, carboxyl, and carboxymethyl, at least one of X, Y, andZ being selected from the group consisting of carboxyl andcarboxymethyl, provided that X and Y can be carboxymethyl only when Z isselected from carboxyl and carboxymethyl, wherein only one of X, Y, andZ can be methyl, and wherein n is a whole integer having a value withina range, the lower limit of which is three and the upper limit of whichis determined by the solubility characteristics in an aqueous system;

b: Water-soluble salts of copolymers of at least two of the monomericspecies having the empirical formula described in (a), and

c. Water-soluble salts of copolymers of a member selected from the groupof alkylenes and monocarboxylic acids with the aliphatic polycarboxyliccompounds described in (a), said copolymers having the general formula:

T T l i f? F F H R (I-1n) Y COOH m wherein R is selected from the groupconsisting of hydrogen, methyl, carboxyl, carboxymethyl, andcarboxyethyl; wherein only one R can be methyl; wherein m is at least 45mole percent of the copolymer; wherein X, Y, and Z are each selectedfrom the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, carboxyl, andcarboxymethyl; at least one of X, Y, and Z being selected from the groupof carboxyl and carboxymethyl provided that X and Y can be carboxymethylonly when Z is selected from the group of carboxyl and carboxymethyl,wherein only one of X, Y, and Z can be methyl and wherein n is a wholeinteger within a range, the lower limit of which is three and the upperlimit of which is determined primarily by the solubility characteristicsin an aqueous system; said polyelectrolyte builder material having aminimum molecular weight of 350 calculated as the acid form and anequivalent weight of about 50 to about 80, calculated as the acid form,(e.g. polymers of itaconic acid; aconitic acid; maleic acid; mesaconicacid; fumaric acid; methylene malonic acid; and citraconic acid andcopolymers with themselves and others compatible monomers such asethylene). These polycarboxylate builder salts are more specificallydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,067, issued Mar. 7, 1967 to Francis L.Diehl entitled Polyelectrolyte Builders and Detergent Compositions.

Additional organic sequestering builder ingredients suitable for beingused in the compositions of this invention encompass the water-solublesalts of oxydisuccinic acid; (ethylene dioxide)-diacetic acid; melliticacid; ether alone or in admixture with nitrilotriacetic disclosed inU.S. Pat. Ser. No. 102,158 of Dec. 28,

1970 and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,420; polyfunctional naphthalene-basedsequestrants as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 102,236 of Dec. 28, 1970and now abandoned; polyfunctional anthracene based sequestrants asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 102,156 of Dec. 28, 1970; polyfunctionalphenanthrene-based sequestrants as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Ser. No.l02,169'of Dec. 28, 1970 and now abandoned; polyfunctional bi-arylsequestrants with separated aromatic nuclei as disclosed in U.S. Pat.Ser. No. 102,048 of Dec. 28, 1970 and now abandoned; polyfunctionaltri-aryl sequestrants with separated aromatic nuclei as disclosed inU.S. Pat. Ser. No. 102,051 of Dec. 28, 1970 and now abandoned; andpolyfunctional monoaryl sequestrants containing at least two carboxylicgroups and one alkyl, halogen or sulfo group as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 102,050 of Dec. 28, 1970 and now abandoned.

The preferred organic sequestering builders for use in the compositionsof the instant invention include the water-soluble salts of melliticacid, polyacrylic acid, benzene pentacarboxylic acid, andnitrilotriacetic acid. Particularly preferred are the water-solublesalts of citric acid. For the purpose of this invention, watersolublesalts stands for neutralization product with alkali matter, ammonium andsubstituted ammonium neutralizing agents. Specific examples of the likeneutralizing agents include sodium, potassium, lithium, and ammonium andtriethanolamine.

Another essential ingredient for use in the liquid detergentcompositions of the present invention is a phase modifier surfactantingredient selected from the group consisting of water-soluble salts ofsulfonated C fatty acids; and polyfunctional anionic surface-activeagents derived from succinic acid. It can be noted that the phasemodifier surfactant ingredients belong to the broad class of anionicsurfactants. However, for the purpose of this invention there is anon-equivalency between said phase modifier surfactant ingredients andthe anionic portion of said component (a) surfactants. Mixtures of theseingredients can as well be used. This anionic phase modifiersurface-active agent is incorporated in an amount of from 2% to about25%, preferably from about 4% to about 15%.

The higher fatty acids suitable for preparing the sulfonates can be ofany origin, i.e. natural or synthetic origin. They can be of branched orstraight chain configuration. Especially in the event the sulfonatedfatty acids are from natural origin, they constitute a mixture ofdifferent chain lengths, although the fatty acid raw material canconceivably be of a substantially uniform chain length. Sulfonated fattyacids are well known in the art of detergent technology and differenttechniques are available for preparing these surface-active agents. Asan example, they can be made by sulfonation of fatty acids withsulfurtrioxide whereby the reaction is carried out in aliquid solvent,for instance, as described in British Patent specification No.1,214,714. Another well-known procedure resides in the use of gaseous,inert gas diluted, sulfurtrioxide for the purpose of preparing saidsulfonated fatty acids. Examples of sulfonated fatty acids compoundssuitable for being used in the compositions of this invention includethe monoand di-ammonium salts of the sulfonation products derived fromfatty acids including those with 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 carbonatoms. Synthetic fatty acids having an odd number of carbon atoms in therange of from 8 to 22 can obviously as well be used. Preferred for usein the instant compositions are sulfonated fatty acids derived fromnatural sources such as hydrogenated coconut oil. The latter term refersto a mixture of fatty acids having an approximate carbon chain lengthdistribution of 8% C 7% C 48% C 17% C 9% C and 11% C Fatty acids derivedI from the other natural sources such as kernel oil, ba-

bassu kernel oil and tallow oil constitute additional examples of apreferred starting material for the fatty acids. Highly preferred foruse in the compositions of the instant invention are salts ofa-sulfonated fatty acids having from 14 to 18, especially 16 carbonatoms in the fatty acid starting material.

Specific examples suitable for being used include the water-solublemonoand di-salts of:

a-sulfo-stearic acid,

a-sulfo-palmitic acid,

a-sulfo-myristic acid,

a-sulfo-lauric acid,

a-sulfo-decanoic acid,

a-sulfo-octanoic acid,

sulfo fatty acids derived from hydrogenated coconut fatty acid havingthe following carbon chain length distribution: stearic 27% palmitic 9%myristic -l7% lauric 48 decanoic --7% octanoic -8% sulfo fatty acidsderived from tallow fatty acids. The water-soluble monoand di-salts canbe represented by alkali ions such as lithium, potassium, sodium,ammonium and substituted ammonium ions. Preferred are the sodium andammonium salts because of ready availability.

The polyfunctional anionic surface-active agents derived from succinicacid are used in an amount of from about 2 to about 25%, preferably fromabout 4 to about They can be described by the general formula wherein Rrepresents an alkyl group having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms; R representshydrogen or a C alkyl group, R represents hydrogen, C, alkyl or OH,whereby the total number of carbon atoms of R and R is at most 4; Xrepresents -O; S; -SO-; SO or SCl-l and whereby M is a watersolublecation. Specific examples suitable for being used include thewater-soluble monoor di-salts of n-tetradecylthio succinic acid;n-dodecylthiosuccinic acid; a-hexadecylthio-a-methylB-ethyl succinicacid;

a-dodecyloxy-B-hydroxy succinic acid; a-dodecylsulfoxy-B-ethyl succinicacid; n-dodecylsulfonyl succinic acid; oz-nhexadecylsulfoxy-B-hydroxysuccinic acid; n-hexadecylthiomethyl succinic acid; n-octyl thiosuccinic acid; n-dodecyl thiomethyl succinic acid; butyloxy-oz-methylB-propyl succinic acid; octadecylthio-B-hydroxy succinic acid;

The water-soluble monoand di-salts can be represented by alkali ionssuch as lithium, potassium, sodium, ammonium and substituted ammoniumions. Preferred are the sodium and ammonium salts because of readyavailability.

Preferred for use in the compositions of this invention are the succinicacid derivatives wherein R represents a C -C alkyl group, R is hydrogen,and R is hydrogen or OH. Especially preferred for use in the instantcompositions are the succinic acid derivatives specified in thepreceding sentence whereby X stands The homogenous, preferably clear,liquid detergent compositions of this invention can contain, in additionto the essential ingredients, also minor amounts of usual liquiddetergent composition additives which may serve different well-knownpurposes. Examples of the like additives include perfumes, dyes,brightening agents, suds controlling agents such as suds boosters andsuds depressors, hydrotropes, enzymes, activators and stabilizing agentsfor said enzymes, opacifiers, bleaches such as chlorine and oxygenbleaches, and buffers. Particularly well-known among these additives arehydrotropes. They can be used in an amount of up to 15% by weight andcan be represented by lower alcohols such as ethanol, propanol andisopropanol, and water-soluble alkaline and ammonium salts of toluenesulfonate, xylene sulfonate, benzene sulfonate and cumene sulfonate. Thequantitative and qualitative choice of said hydrotropes for use in thepreferred compositions of this invention can easily be determined anddepends obviously on the nature of the ingredients selected for use in aparticular homogeneous liquid detergent composition as well as theirrelative amounts.

For obtaining the advantages of the compositions of the instantinvention, the weight ratio of the component (b) water-soluble organicsequestering builder to the component (c) polyanionic ingredient shallbe from about 6:1 to about 1:6 and preferably from about 3:1 to about1:3. The detergent compositions of the instant invention having a weightratio of component (b) to component (0) outside the 6:1 to 1:6 ratiohave a tendency toward phase separation particularly during prolongedstorage.

The following liquid detergent compositions were prepared by mixing theindividual ingredients.

Composition Examples Ingredients A I ll Upon storage, the Composition Acomposition representing the state of the art was subject to phaseseparation whereas the compositions of the instant invention Examples Iand II remained unchanged, i.e. homogeneous clear liquid compositions.

A composition of this invention Example I was used for comparativetesting purposes by reference to liquid prior art detergent compositionshaving the following formulas:

Compositions Ingredient B Ammonium salt of sulfated condensation productof middle-cut coconut alcohol, average chain length C with 3 moles ofethoxylene oxide Sodium, C1044 alkyl, average chain length C glycerylether sulfonate Coconut, average C dimethyl amine oxide Ammonium salt ofa-sulfopalmitic acid Disodium dodecylthiosuccinate Minor ingredients andmoisture balance to I00 Four aluminum and four stainless steel metalstrips were soiled with a mixture of whole milk and commercial gravy andsauce mixtures containing a broad range of soils, appearing in foodsoils, and allowed to dry. Subsequently said soiled metal strips weretreated with an aqueous solution containing the liquid detergentcompositions to be tested. Testing conditions: Water hardness:7 U.S.grains/US. gallon(molar ratio Ca/Mg 3/1) Product concentration indishwashing solution:0.6% TreatmentThe soiled metal strips were placedin the detergent solution at a temperature of 120F. for 1% minutes. Atthe end of that time, the strips were three times withdrawn and redippedin the soaking solution to eliminate loosened soil. Thereafter thestrips were allowed to dry. The soil removal was estimated by comparingthe test strips versus standards. The grading was done by an experiencedjudge who used a scale from 1 to 10 whereby 1 stands for the soilremoved obtained from soaking in plain water and 10 represents theperfectly clean strip.

The results were as follows:

Composition Used Soil Removal Grade -Continued Composition Used SoilRemoval Grade C 4.1 Exzunple I 5.9

The above confirms that the composition of the instant invention,Example I, outperforms prior art Compositions B and C with respect tobroad spectrum soil removal. These differences are significant andnoticeable to untrained observers.

The compositions of Examples I and II, wherein the a-sulfopalmitic acidsalt and the ammonium citrate (Example IV) and the sodium dodecylthiosuccinate and the ammonium citrate (Example III) have been reducedfrom 10% to 5% respectively, have been compared with Composition D,which is identical to Composition A, except that it contains but 10% ofammonium citrate. Egg yolk was applied to twelve aluminum strips foreach composition or example which were allowed to dry over night. Twosoiled strips were then treated under six different conditions, namelywith detergent solutions containing respectively 1% and 2% of thecompositions during 1, 2 and 5 minutes.

At the end of the soaking time, the metal strips were three timeswithdrawn and redipped into the solution in order to insure the loosenedsoils are eliminated. The soil removal performance was determined bypaired comparison (Round Robin design) whereby the more positive scorereflects a greater soil removal. The testing results are as follows:

Composition Used Stain Removal Example I" .68 Example IV .0! CompositionD l.33

Composition Example Ingredient Ammonium salt of oz-sulfopalmitic acidSodium, C alkyl, average chain length C glyceryl ether sulfonateAmmonium salt of the sulfation product of coconut alcohol with 3 molesof ethylene oxide C alkyl, average chain length C dimethyl amine oxideAmmonium citrate Three aluminum strips were dipped into a liquid soilconsisting essentially of a slurry of hamburger and wa- Composition UsedSoil Removal Example V 6.7 Composition E 1.0

Substantially similar results can be obtained in the event the alkylglyceryl ether sulfonate and/or the amine oxide of Example V is whollyor partially substituted by an equivalent amount of ammonium linearalkyl benzene sulfonate wherein the chain length averages from about l18, more preferably about 12 carbon atoms in length; ammonium2-acetoxy-tridecanel-sulfonate; ammonium b-methoxyoctadecylsulfonate;and the ammonium salts of the sulfonated condensation products of C1040fatty alcohols with from 1 moles of ethylene oxide.

Substantially similar results are also obtained in the event thewater-soluble organic detergents are replaced with an equivalentquantity of the condensation product of nonyl phenol with about 9.5moles of ethylene oxide, the condensation product of coconut fattyalcohol with about 6 moles of ethylene oxide, and the condensationproduct of a secondary fatty alcohol containing carbon atoms with about9 moles of ethylene oxide.

Substantially similar results can be also obtained by replacing, whollyor partially, the water-soluble organic detergents with an equivalentquantity of 3(N,N- dimethyl-N-alkylammonio )-propanel sulfonate and3(N,N-dimethyl-N-alkylammonio-)-2-hydroxypropanel-sulfonate wherein inboth compounds the alkyl group averages 14.8 carbon atoms in length;3(N,N-dimethyl- N-hexadecylammonio)-propanel -sulfonate; 3(N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecylammonio )-2-hydroxypropanel sulfonate; 3-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N- dimethylammonio )-propane- 1 -sulfonate; (N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)acetate; 3-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)propionate; 6-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio )hexanoate; and(N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecylammonio)acetate.

Substantially similar results are obtained in the event ammonium citrateis replaced with an equivalent amount of ammonium salts of melliticacid, polyacrylic acid; benzene pentacarboxylic acid; andnitrilotriacetic acid.

Substantially similar results are also obtained in the event theammonium salts of a-sulfopalmitic acid is replaced with an equivalentquantity of substituted ammonium salts of sulfonated fatty acids wherebythe fatty acids are represented by coconut, kernel, babassu kernel andtallow fatty acids and mixtures thereof.

Substantially similar results are also obtained in the event theammonium a-sulfopalmitic acid is replaced by a water-soluble ammonium orsubstituted ammonium salt of succinic acid derivatives of the generalformula of claim I wherein R, represents an alkyl chain having from 6-18carbon atoms; R is hydrogen; and R is hydrogen or OH.

What is claimed is: 1. A homogeneous liquid detergent compositionparticularly suitable for the removal of food soils consistingessentially of:

a. from about 3% to about 40% by weight of a watersoluble organicdetergent selected from the group consisting of sodium c alkyl glycerylsulfonate; ammonium 2-acetoxy-tridecane-l-sulfonate; ammoniumB-methoxyoctadecyl-sulfonate; the ammonium salt of sulfated condensationproduct of C1020 fatty alcohol with from 1 to 10 moles of ethyleneoxide; the condensation product of nonyl phenol with about 9.5 moles ofethylene oxide; the condensation product of coconut fatty alcohol withabout 6 moles of ethylene oxide; the condensation product of a secondaryfatty alcohol containing about 15 carbon atoms with about 9 moles ofethylene oxide; 3(N,N-dimethyl-N-alkylammonio)- propane-l-sulfonate and3(N,N-dimethyl-N- alkylammonio)-2-hydroxypropanel -sulfonate wherein inboth compounds the alkyl group averages 14.8 carbon atoms in length; 3N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecylammonio )-propane l -sulfonate; 3(N,N-dimethyl-N- hexadecylammonio )-2-hydroxypropanel sulfonate;3-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N- dimethylammonio )-propane- 1 -sulfonate; (N- Idodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)-acetate; 3-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)propionate; 6-(N-dodecylbenzyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)hexanoate;(N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecylammonio)acetate; and mixtures thereof;

. from about 2% to about 30% by weight of a watersoluble organicsequestering builder;

. from about 2% to about 25% by weight of a phase modifier surfactantingredient selected from the group consisting of water-soluble salts ofi. sulfonated C C fatty acids;

ii. compounds of the general formula wherein R, represents an alkylgroup having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms;

R represents hydrogen or a C alkyl group, R

stands for hydrogen,

C alkyl or -OH, whereby the total number of carbon atoms of R and R isat most 4; X represents -O; S; -SO-; SO or SCH M is a water-solublecation; and

iii. mixtures thereof;

whereby the ratio of component (b) to component c. is from about 3:1 toabout 1:3;

and d. the balance to being water. 2. The liquid detergent compositionin accordance with claim 1 wherein the component (a) water-soluble 19organic detergent is present in an amount from about 5% to about 25% byweight.

3. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 2 whereinthe Component (b) water-soluble organic sequestering builder is presentin an amount from about 5% to about 20% by weight.

' 4. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 3 whereinthe Component ingredient is present in an amount from about 4% to about15% by weight.

5. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4 whereinthe Component (b) water-soluble organic sequestering builder is selectedfrom the group consisting of the water-soluble salts of mellitic acid;polyacrylic acid; benzene pentacarboxylic acid and nitrilotriaceticacid.

6. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4 whereinthe fatty acids of the Component (c) (i) water-soluble salts ofsulfonated fatty acids are selected from the group consisting ofcoconut, kernel, babassu kernel, and tallow fatty acids and mixturesthereof.

7. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4 whereinthe Component (0) (ii) ingredient is selected from the general formulaof claim 1 wherein R represents an alkyl group having from 6 18 carbonatoms; R is hydrogen; and R is hydrogen or OH.

8. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 7 whereinthe Component (a) water-soluble organic detergent is selected from thegroup consisting of sodium C alkyl glyceryl sulfonate; the ammonium saltof sulfated condensation products of coconut fatty alcohol with 3 molesof ethylene oxide; and dodecyl dimethylamine oxide.

9. The liquid detergent composition in accordance 5 with claim 6 whereinthe Component (a) water-soluble organic detergent is selected from thegroup consisting of sodium C1046 alkyl glyceryl sulfonate; the ammoniumsalt of sulfated condensation products of coconut fatty alcohol with 3moles of ethylene oxide; and dodecyl dimethylamine oxide.

10. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 9 whereinComponent (b) is ammonium citrate.

11. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 6 whereinthe Component (c) (i) is a watersoluble salt of C a-sulfonated fattyacids.

12. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 11 whereinComponent (b) is ammonium citrate.

13. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim whereby inComponent (c) (ii) X stands for S. I

' 14. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4 whichalso contains up to 15% by weight of a hydrotrope selected from thegroup consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, water-solublealkali metal and ammonium salts of toluene sulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, xylene sulfonic acid, cumene sulfonic acid and mixturesthereof.

1. A HOMOGENEOUS LIQUID DETERGENT COMPOSITION PARTICULARLY SUITABLE FORTHE REMOVAL OF FOOD SOILS CONSISTING ESENTIALLY OF: A FROM ABOUT 3% TOABOUT 40% BY WEIGHT OF A WATER -SOLUBLE ORGANIC DETERGENT SELECTED FROMTHE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM C8-20 ALKYL SULFONATE AMMONIUM 2ACETOXYTRIDECANE 1-SULFONATE AMMONIUM B-METHOXYOCTADECYL-SULFONATE THE AMMONIUMSALT OF SULFATED CONDENSATION PRODUCT OF C10-20 FATTY ALCOHOL WITH FROM1 TO 10 MOLES OF ETHYLENE OXIDE THE CONDENSATION PRODUCT OF NONYL PHENOLWITH ABOUT 9.5 MOLES OF ETHYLENE OXIDE THE CONDENSATION PRODUCT OFCOCONUT FATTY ALCOHOL WITH ABOUT 6 MOLES OF ETHYLENE OXIDE THECONDENSATION PRODUCT OF A SECONDARY FATTY ALCOHOL CONTAINING ABOUT 15CARBON ATOMS WITH ABOUT 9 MOLES OF ETHYLENE OXIDE3(N,NDIMETHYL-N-ALKYLAMMONIO)-PROPANE-1-SULFONATE AND3(N,N-DIMETHY-N-ALKYLAMMONIO)-2 HYDROXYPROPANE-1SULFONATE WHEREIN INBOTH COMPOUNDS THE ALKYL GROUP AVERAGES 14.8 CARBON ATOMS IN LENGTH,3(N,N-DIMETHYL-N-HEXADECYLAMMONO)-PROPANE -1-SULFONATE3(N,N-DIMETHYL-N-HEXADECYLAMMONIO)-2HYDROXYPROPANE-1 SULFONATE3-(N-DODECYLBENZYLN,N-DIMETHYLAMMONIO)-PROPANE-1-SULFONATE(NDODECYLBENZYL-N-N-DIMETHYLAMMONIO ACETATE,3-(N-DODECYLBENZYL-N-N-DIMETHYLAMMONIO)PROPIONATE,3-(N-DODECYLBENZYL-N,N-DIMETHYLAMMONIO)HEXANOATE,(N,N-DIMETHYL-N-HEXADECYLAMMONIO) ACETATE, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, B. FROMABOUT 2% TO ABOUT 30% BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE ORGANIC SEQUESTERINGBUILDER, C. FROM ABOUT 2% TO ABOUT 25% BY WEIGHT OF A PHASE MODIFIERSURFACTANT INGREDIENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATERSOLUBLE SALTS OF I. SULFONATED C8-C22 FATTY ACIDS, II. COMPOUNDS OF THEGENERAL FORMULA
 2. The liquid detergent composition in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the component (a) water-soluble organic detergent ispresent in an amount from about 5% to about 25% by weight.
 3. The liquiddetergent composition in accordance with claim 2 wherein the Component(b) water-soluble organic sequestering builder is present in an amountfrom about 5% to about 20% by weight.
 4. The liquid detergentcomposition in accordance with claim 3 wherein the Component (c)ingredient is present in an amount from about 4% to about 15% by weight.5. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4 whereinthe Component (b) water-soluble organic sequestering builder is selectedfrom the group consisting of the water-soluble salts of mellitic acid;polyacrylic acid; benzene pentacarboxylic acid and nitrilotriaceticacid.
 6. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4wherein the fatty acids of the Component (c) (i) water-soluble salts ofsulfonated fatty acids are selected from the group consisting ofcoconut, kernel, babassu kernel, and tallow fatty acids and mixturesthereof.
 7. The liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4wherein the Component (c) (ii) ingredient is selected from the generalformula of claim 1 wherein R1 represents an alkyl group having from 6 -18 carbon atoms; R2 is hydrogen; and R3 is hydrogen or OH.
 8. The liquiddetergent composition in accordance with claim 7 wherein the Component(a) water-soluble organic detergent is selected from the groupconsisting of sodium C10-16 alkyl glyceryl sulfonate; the ammonium saltof sulfated condensation products of coconut fatty alcohol with 3 molesof ethylene oxide; and dodecyl dimethylamine oxide.
 9. The liquiddetergent composition in accordance with claim 6 wherein the Component(a) water-soluble organic detergent is selected from the groupconsisting of sodium C10-16 alkyl glyceryl sulfonate; the ammonium saltof sulfated condensation products of coconut fatty alcohol with 3 molesof ethylene oxide; and dodecyl dimethylamine oxide.
 10. The liquiddetergent composition in accordance with claim 9 wherein Component (b)is ammonium citrate.
 11. The liquid detergent composition in accordancewith claim 6 wherein the Component (c) (i) is a water-soluble salt ofC14-18 Alpha -sulfonated fatty acids.
 12. The liquid detergentcomposition in accordance with claim 11 wherein Component (b) isammonium citrate.
 13. The liquid detergent composition in accordancewith claim 10 whereby in Component (c) (ii) X stands for S.
 14. Theliquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 4 which alsocontains up to 15% by weight of a hydrotrope selected from the groupconsisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, water-soluble alkalimetal and ammonium salts of toluene sulfonic acid, benzene sulfonicacid, xylene sulfonic acid, cumene sulfonic acid and mixtures thereof.